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About U.S. PIRG

Our team of researchers uncovers the facts; our staff bring our findings to the public, through the media as well as one-on-one interactions; and our advocates bring the voice of the public to the halls of power on behalf of consumers.

An Independent Voice For Consumers

U.S. PIRG is an advocate for the public interest, working to win concrete results on real problems that affect millions of lives, and standing up for the public against powerful interests when they push the other way.

The problems we face don’t care if you’re a liberal or a conservative, or if you live in a red or blue state — they affect each and every one of us. That’s why, for decades, we’ve taken a non-partisan, fact-driven, results-oriented approach to our work. And with your help, we can take on the difficult challenges ahead.

Our Top Priorities
Using the time-tested tools of investigative research, media exposés, grassroots organizing, advocacy and litigation, U.S. PIRG stands up to powerful interests and delivers concrete results.

We can keep our consumer cop on Wall Street
In the wake of the Great Recession, we helped create the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to be our watchdog on Wall Street. But now, Congress is trying to weaken or eliminate it. We need to keep our consumer cop on the financial beat. >LEARN MORE

STOP THE OVERUSE OF ANTIBIOTICS
The overuse of antibiotics on farms is contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, threatening the health of millions every year. We're calling on states to address this growing public health threat. >LEARN MORE

BAN ROUNDUP
New studies link the chemicals in Monsanto's Roundup to cancer and other serious health problems. We're calling on cities and counties across the country to ban Roundup unless and until it's proven safe. >LEARN MORE

DEMOCRACY FOR THE PEOPLE
We're putting regular voters back in the driver’s seat of our democracy by increasing the influence of small donors in elections, overturning Citizens United, and modernizing how we register to vote. >LEARN MORE

Our Mission
U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups (PIRGs), stands up to powerful special interests on behalf of the American public, working to win concrete results for our health and our well-being. With a strong network of researchers, advocates, organizers and students in state capitals across the country, we take on the special interests on issues such as product safety, public health, campaign finance reform, tax and budget reform and consumer protection, where these interests stand in the way of reform and progress.

U.S. PIRG, The Federation Of State Public Interest Research GroupsU.S. PIRG is a federation of independent, state-based, citizen-funded organizations that advocate for the public interest.

Since 1970, state PIRGs have delivered results-oriented citizen activism, stood up to powerful special interests, and used the time-tested tools of investigative research, media exposés, grassroots organizing, advocacy and litigation to win real results on issues that matter.

Across the country, state PIRGs employ close to 400 organizers, policy analysts, scientists and attorneys, and are active in 47 states, with a federal lobby office in Washington, D.C. On national issues, we also coordinate our efforts, pool resources, and share expertise so that we can have the biggest impact.

U.S. PIRG StaffU.S. PIRG is an advocate for the public interest. When consumers are cheated, or the voices of ordinary citizens are drowned out by special interest lobbyists, U.S. PIRG speaks up and takes action. We uncover threats to public health and well-being and fight for the public interest.

What's New

The Medical Supply Transparency and Delivery Act would create a central, transparent system for procuring and distributing medical supplies during the COVID-19 crisis, and would help resolve a chaotic market.

Elizabeth Ridlington, Frontier Group Senior Policy Analyst explores some questions about how the coronavirus will affect health care spending overall and by governments, and the health care system itself.

The coronavirus pandemic is reminding us, once again, of how expensive the nation’s health care system is. It’s the high cost of health care that makes health insurance so expensive for individual consumers, employers and the nation, and the cost and structure of insurance can have real consequences for health.

The national business magazine Fast Company named U.S. PIRG’s right to repair campaign as a finalist today for the media outlet’s World Changing Ideas Awards. The nonprofit and advocacy group’s campaign was one of 9 finalists in the Politics & Policy category.

U.S.PIRG is planning a social media day of action for Tuesday April 28, calling on President Donald Trump and Adm. Brett Giroir, the U.S. testing chief, to take charge of building a comprehensive testing infrastructure across the country. Citizens across the country are being asked to go on Facebook and Twitter to share the reasons why they want additional testing alongside the #MoreTestsNow hashtag.

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has left many Americans wondering how they’re going to pay their monthly bills. U.S. PIRG Education Fund new advice on how to negotiate with banks, utilities delaying payments, waiving of overdraft fees and other ways to stay financially secure.

In response to a critical shortage of ventilators needed to keep severe COVID-19 patients breathing, President Donald Trump ordered General Motors to produce the life-saving machines under the Defense Production Act. The Department of Health and Human Services will be responsible for implementation of and follow through on that order.

The novel coronavirus presents an unprecedented crisis for our country and demands an unprecedented government response. Congress is poised to approve spending more tax dollars in a single stimulus bill than ever before in U.S. history. With so much money on the line, taxpayers need to know that their dollars will be well spent.

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The negative health effects of asbestos are well-known. Most people may associate asbestos contamination with the workplace or decades-old construction material, but alarmingly, recent media reports have found asbestos contamination in kids' makeup from popular stores. U.S. PIRG Education Fund (PIRG) decided to do its own asbestos testing at an accredited laboratory.

The adoption of large numbers of electric vehicles (EVs) offers many benefits for cities, including cleaner air and the opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Electric vehicles are far cleaner than gasoline-powered cars, with lower greenhouse gas emissions and lower emissions of the pollutants that contribute to smog and particulate matter.

Lip products are used by most Americans every day. In fact, 81 percent of women and 39 percent of men use lipstick or lip balm products. Unfortunately, the ingredients in these products are barely regulated, and many major brands use toxic chemicals in these products.

The United States produces an immense amount of waste. Natural resources are continually extracted to produce goods that are used in the U.S. – often only briefly – before they are thrown into landfills, incinerators or the natural environment. This system of consumption and disposal results in the waste of precious resources and pollution that threatens our health, environment and global climate.

Shaped by modern technologies, financial influences and public policy, American agriculture has evolved into an efficient system that produces all the food the country needs and more. However, in addition to the benefits that our food system offers, the shift to larger and more specialized farms has damaged public health and the environment. This damage is avoidable. Now is the time to reform agricultural practices to better protect public health, the environment, and our future ability to grow food.

Rich Cordray, the first director of the CFPB and author of a new book on his six years at its helm, has issued a powerful memo to its current director, Kathy Kraninger, urging her to stop "relaxing" duties on financial firms and to "lose no further time" in "shield[ing] households and families" from the "economic harms" they face as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Without adequate testing for the novel coronavirus, health professionals are in the dark. We are calling on Adm. Brett Giroir, who is the Assistant Secretary for Health and the federal point person for COVID-19 testing response, to immediately adopt and follow through on a plan to make sure that everyone who needs a test, gets a test.

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U.S. PIRG and its state affiliates are working to ensure that every eligible American voter has the ability to participate in democracy, even during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. We’re calling on states to start preparing now to ensure safe elections in November, including emergency expansion of vote by mail, sanitized and socially-distant polling places and other measures. This weekly update highlights the work we’re doing on the COVID-19 voting front, and other important developments in the news.

House Democrats unveiled a nearly-half-trillion-dollar transportation spending bill Wednesday, titled the INVEST in America Act. Although the proposed bill would spend more than twice as much on highways as transit and rail, it shifts the focus of the spending toward “fix-it-first” and more sustainable investments, including expanded transit networks, electric buses and electric vehicle infrastructure, as well as safer streets for walking and biking.

I’ve been reading the CFPB’s mail. It’s okay, you can too. It’s public. Not surprisingly, the latest CFPB consumer complaints paint a grim picture of the pandemic’s effect on family finances. I ask: Why isn’t the CFPB doing more to help struggling consumers?

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, now more than ever, we need to work together to ensure that our government has a coordinated, strategic response to safeguard the public’s health, protect consumers from emerging dangers and ensure people can still participate fully in our democracy.

A U.S. PIRG report finds that complaints filed with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reached record numbers in April. Credit reporting complaints, which historically top the list, increased by more than 20,000.

We are thrilled and honored that Fast Company, the national business magazine, has selected U.S. PIRG's Right to Repair campaign as a finalist for its World Changing Ideas awards in the Politics & Policy category.